Automatic air-brake-train-line coupling.



Patented July 4, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEBTAI.

W; H. WEAVER.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE TRAIN LINE COUPLINGx APPLICATION FILED DBC. 28, 191).

lll, 3,

W. H. WEAVER.

AUTQMATIG Am BRAKE TRAIN' LINE GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 28, 1910,

Patented July 4, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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-i-WILLIAM H. WEAVER', o-F JEDpIo, PENNSYLVANIA.:

AUTOMATIC AIR-BRAKE-TRAINQLINE coUrLING.

cargoes. y y

Specification .of Letters Patent. i

Patented July 4, i911'.

Application led December 28, 1910. Serial No. 599,761.

-'1'o all 'whom it may conce-m:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WEAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jeddoj, inthe county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in "Automatic Air- $Brakep-' lrain'-Line Couplings, of which the following is a specilication.`

invention relates to improvements in .a tomatic. air-brake train line couplings, nuorau particularly to animproved construction and arrangement of coupling, in com` bination with a particular construction of valve compelling the closure of the air-line 15when uncoupled, and opening the air-line when f coupled A' further'vobject 4is to provide an improved coupling comprising two members reversely positioned relative vto each other, precisely alike in construction, having passages therethrough adapted to register when coupled,hating cam faces to force said couplings together at the point of meeting of the passages' and to so shape said coupling members las "to permit the turning movement of one upon the other to compensate for the v lmovementmf cars in rounding a curve, and to enable the couplings to engage on a curve.

A furtherobject is. to provide an improved construction of air-brake train line coupling, which will be entirely automatic, .compelling the air-line pipes to vcouple automatically, withl the 'coupling of the draft riggings, and uncoupleautomatically as the couplers of the draft riggings are uncoupled,- preventing the necessity of train men moving between the cars to couple and unrcouple the train line pipes.

{With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more full-y vhereinafter described and pointed out in the vclaims. f f

l In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1,.l

is a view taken longitudinally of theldraft (rigging, showing one endof `the draft bar f and coupling in side elevation with my imfprovements inl operative relation thereto. Fig. 2, is a` view on an enlarged scale partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation of the air-line coupling yand its mounting. Fig. 3, is a plan View of Fig. 2. i Fig. 4, is a view in longitudinal section showing "se thefair-ljnevalve. Fig. 5, is a plan view of This pipe 9 at its forward end is screwthreaded and connected by a union 11 with a valve casing 12, said valve casing having an external groove 13 in which a U-shaped hanger 14 is located to rigidly hold the valve casing. The forward end of the valve casing is externally screw-threaded to re-4 ceive a packing nut 15, which latter operates to pack the pipe 16, which I term the. conf? 5 pling pipe. Thiscoupling pipe 16 extendsinto the valve casing 12, and is closed at its inner end by means of a valve 17. This Valve lis adapted to engage an annular shoulder or seat 18 in the valve casing to s close the passage through the. air-line. Pipe l16, however, is provided with a plurality of openings 19, normally closed by means of their location within the valve casing, and l by means of the valve 17, but which when the coupling pipe 16 is forced rearwardly, will move into the larger chamber .of the valve casing 12 and allow a free passage of air through.the line.

The forward ends of coupling pipes 1,6 are screw-threaded and screwed into the threaded ends `of passages 20 in coupling members 21. The ltwo coupling members which come together to couple .the line, are precisely alike inv construction, save that they are, reversely .positioned relative to` each other, and the following description of one will therefore apply .alike to both,

Each coupling member 21 is provided in its inner end with screw-threaded sockets 22 100 forthe-reception of bolt-s 23. These bolts 23 project through hangers 24 and 25, depending from the draft. rigging, and are provided with heads 26 limiting the forward movement of the coupling member.

yOn these rods 23, coiledlsprings 27 are lo- Vclosed position. Each coup cated exerting outwardfpr'essure on the member, .and'also holdingjvthe valvej l18 1 n yling member 1s a casting havingA anfou'tw l. and for- 110 wardly projecting curved lip 28. That is to say, this lip is' `curved transversely, but

so that these two portions of the two memf bers constitute in eect, valve seats or coupling seats.' Each of the coupling mem? bers is provided'with a recess 31 haviiwall 32 constituting a cam conforming in shape to the cam face 29 of lip 28 of the opposed coupling.. member, so that when the coupling members come together, these. cam faces,29 and 32 force the seats 30 tightly together and insure an air tight juncture between the coupling members and a perfect joining of the air passages 20, so that the pipe lines are-connected. The 'recesses 31 are curvedjtransversely concentric with `the curvature of the lipsa28 to allow theA members transverse pivotal movement suiiicient to compensate forthe angular' re. lation of cars in rounding curves, and also enabling the coupling to be' made' upon a curve.

When the cars come together in coupling, the lips 28 lof the air-line coupling members move in to the recesses-31 of their opposed coupling members, and the cam faces 29 and 32 force vthe seats 30 tightly together, compressing the gasket 33 and vforming la tight juncture of the coupling members. At

the same time this coupling movement forces both coupling members inwardly against the action of'springs 27, hence moving the pipes 16 inwardly, which causes the valves 17 to move away from their seats 18, and allows the openings `19 to bel moved' into 'the' larger portions of valve casing 12, hence completely opening and connecting the pipe line. When the cars move apart in uncoupling, springs 27 force the coupling members outwardly,and at the same time move pipes 16 so as to yclose valves 17v against the seats 18,'A hence completely and automatically closing theair-line when the cars are uncoupled. It willtherefore b e noted that with my improvements 1n posif tion on the cars, any 'necessity for train men ymoving between'the cars to couple the airline. pipes isdispensed'with as the air-line' pipes will couple automatically with` the draft couplings, and the passage through the air-line will be automatically opened'as u the cars are coupled "and automatically closed as the cars are uncoupled. The coupling and uncoupling of the air-line will therefore 'be entirely automatic and will result in the saving of .time and labor .as 'well as preventing accidents ,which 'frequently occur from the necessity of train Various vslight changes mightbe made in the generalV form andarrangement of parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described m invention,what I claim as new and desire t .secure by Let-l` ters Patent is: V

l. In an automatic coupling for train line air-brake pipes, t e combination of two members exactly alike but 'dis osed" reversely, a forwardly -projecting Vorizontal lip on each member, and each member hav'- ing a recess to receive the lip of the othery member, each lip and the wall of each recess beveled or cam shaped forcing said. lips tos' gether, and each member having an air pasf sage extending through its lip, substantially y as described. f

2. In an automatic coupling for train line' air-brake pipes, the combination of twpy members exactly alike, but disposed re# versely, a forwardly projecting transversely curved horizontal lip on each member, each member having a transversely curved recess to receive the lip of the other member, each lip and the wall of each recessbeveled 'or' cam shaped forcing' said lips together when the members move toward each'other,""andV each memberehaving an air` passageextending through its 11p, substantially as -described. v y

3, In an automatic coupling for train line air-brake pipes, the combination of two members exactly alike, but disposed reversely, a forwardly projecting horizontal transversely curved 11p on each member,

each member having a transversely .curved` recess to receive the lip of the other member, each lip and the lwall of each recess beveled or cam shaped 'forcing y said lips together when the members move toward each other, each member having an air passageextendv ing through its lip, a raised .contacting hoi-i4 zontal. seat on each lip around the passage,

vand a gasket between said seats, substantially asdescribed..

4. .In an automatic coupling v'for tr'ain line air-brake pipes, 'the combination of two members exactly alike but disposed reversely, Veach member comprising a single casting, la forwardly projecting horizontal lip on-each casting, each 'casting having a recess to receive the lip of the other member,

each lip and the wall-of eachrecess beveled or' cam shaped forcing "said lips together when the members move together, said members each having an air passage lextending through its lip,V and. springs pressing said members horizontally toward each other, substantially `as described.

5. In an. automatic coupling for train line i'iol beveled or cam shaped forcing said lips together When the members move together, saidmembers each having an air passage extending through its lip, springs pressing said members toward each other, and valves controlling the iloW of luid through said passages automatically opened -when said f members are together, and closed when said members 'are separated, substantially as described. f

- 6. In combination, a train line pipe, a valve casing, a coupling pipe projecting into the valve casing, a valve-on said coupling pipe, seating in said casing, said pipe havlng openings therein which permit a passage through said pipe when the valve 1s moved from its seat, a coupling member on said pipe, a support, bolts mounted to move in said support and screwed into said member, and coiled springs on saidy bolts bearing against the member and normally holding said valve on its seat, substantially as described. y

7. In combination, air-line pipes, valves .in said pipes, longitudinally movable coupling members rigidly secured on the ends of said pipes, springs pressing against said coupling members holding the valves on their seats, said valves opened When 'said coupling members are together, said coupling members having pivotal coupling relation with each other, substantially as described.

8. In combination, air-line pipes, valves in said pipes, longitudinally movable coupling members rigidly secured on the ends of said pipes, springs pressing against said coupling members holding the valves ton their seats, said valves opened when said coupling members are together, transversely curved lips on said coupling members, each coupling member having a recess to receive the lip of the other coupling member, said lips and the Walls of said recesses beveled or cam shaped forcing said lips together when the coupling members are moved together, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM n. WEAVER.

VVit-nesses z DANIEL S. BUCKLEY, THOMAS A. BucnLnY. 

